


Maki Doesn't Get Paid Enough For This

by StarReads



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Affectionate Insults, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angie is disappointed constantly, Background Original Characters - Freeform, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Baking, Coffee Shops, Everyone has a potty mouth, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Food, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Human K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), It's Ouma not Oma heathens, K1-B0 spelled Kiibo, Looking at you Miu and Ouma, M/M, Maki is so done with this shit, Maki works to hard, My new brainchild everyone, No Angst, Not Beta Read, Ouma is a fucking gremlin, Overworking, Slice of Life, The Author Regrets Nothing, teen for swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-05-07 07:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19204585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarReads/pseuds/StarReads
Summary: Maki picked up a job at a local coffee shop two years ago thinking it'd just be temporary. After all, surely she'd get scouted for a dance team soon? Wrong.Now she's stuck working in a tiny shop. At least it pays enough to keep her afloat. Even if it does mean she still has to have roommates.





	1. Blueberry Muffins

**Author's Note:**

> MY NEW BABY HAS ARRIVED!

Maki never wanted to work at this coffee shop.

This was supposed to be a temporary gig. A job to hold her over until she could get into a dance crew and start working for real. Except that never happened. And so for two years she had been trapped at this coffee shop.

  
It was called Celestial Coffee, and she worked there with three other people. It paid pretty decently, even if it meant she still had to have roommates. The same roommates who gave her this job, which means she can literally never escape them. At least the manager was nice, even if she is a chronic gambler. Better than most managers she'd had.

Today, like any other day, she clocked in at six am, bright and early. And just like any other day, her roommates trudged in five minutes later.

Kokichi was a tiny theater major who wanted to make it big in Broadway. So far he'd done a couple amateur plays, ones that Maki had gone to and been surprised at how good they were. Leave it to Kokichi to turn her into a fucking theater nerd.

Miu was an oddball. She had an engineering degree in the works, making her the only one of them still in college after six years. She did all her work online, and had gotten in on a scholarship. If only she had a better personality, maybe she'd be interesting.  
  
~~Not that she hated her. It sometimes sucked but these two assholes were her only friends.~~  
  
Kokichi began to whine about being sleepy, prompting Miu to begin to nag him for whining. So now they were fighting. Great.

  
She could hear Angie setting up in the backroom, whizzing around at top speed. Angie was an artist from some small island somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. She was a bit eccentric, but well-meaning and not a bad coworker.

Maki opened the storage closet and grabbed a rag and a spray bottle. She needed to wipe down the counters and tables where the customers drink their coffees. The last thing she needed was the health board on their asses.

“I'm gonna go to the front. Kokichi, you help Angie in the kitchen. I need those counters sanitized before we start baking for the day. Miu, make sure the floors are swept and that we're stocked properly. I don't want a repeat of last Wednesday,” Maki said.  
  
Despite not being the owner and having no authority, the others tended to listen to Maki. Probably because she was the only responsible person in the store.  
  
It didn't take her long to get the public parts of the store looking good. Although, turning on those overhead lights was a pain. Whoever designed their lighting system needed to be taken out back and put down. After that she made a beeline for the kitchens.   
  
As soon as the counters were cleaned, she started grabbing ingredients. “Angie, where's the god-damn menu? I know Celeste wrote one,” she said, not bothering to turn and look at her coworker. Angie paused to grab the list from her pocket and toss it to her.

Upon reading it, Maki began to violently curse. “Six different kinds of pastries and five god-damn entrees?? Jesus fucking Christ Celeste, I'm not a fucking magician,” she muttered.

Kokichi sighed from the pantry. “Guess I'm not getting a break today. I've got pastries, will you cover coffee Angie?” he called out. Angie nodded, and then continued working until Kokichi again shouted," Angie? Hello? Girl I know you're like, fucking stupid, but I still expect even a simpleton like you to know how to answer basic questions.”

“Oh! Sorry Ouma! Yes, I can cover coffee. But watch your language! Atua is always watching,” she sang out. She went back to getting the coffee started.   
  
“Miu, I need you to cover entrees today. Think you can handle that without burning down the kitchen?” Maki asked. Miu sighed.

  
“Fine, I'll cook today, but I wanna do customers tomorrow! If I have to spend one more day in this kitchen I'll strangle Kokichi with his stupid fucking scarf,” she said, pushing past Maki to grab the menu.

Ouma gasped as he exited the pantry. “How dare you! My scarf is _not_ stupid!” He exclaimed. Maki groaned, massaging her temples.

“Miu, do not antagonize Kokichi. If you guys don't quit fighting I'll kick both your asses and make you wear the signs again. Now if you excuse me, I have a shop to open,” she said, leaving the kitchen as quickly as possible.  
  
She went up to the chalkboard and scrawled out the menu for the day. The chalk got all over her hands and she sighed. Great. Now she had to wash them. Again.  
  
After doing so, she unlocked the store door and flipped the sign from “Closed” to “Open”. She eyed the clock, and sure enough, it was exactly 7:30. Perfect, as always. Ten minutes later, the first customer arrived, a harried middle-aged woman looking like she just had a break down in her car. Again.

“Hello Hinata-san. The usual?” she asked. The woman just nodded, not even bothering to look at Maki before sitting down. Maki turned to poke her head into the kitchen.   
  
“One black coffee with an espresso shot. Don't forget and put cream in it this time,” she called into the room. Angie nodded and started making the brew. Maki propped open the kitchen door with a stool. Screw protocol, she wasn't opening and shutting that door constantly.

Maki stood there awkwardly while she waited for Angie to make the woman's coffee. Hinata never wanted to speak to any of them, despite having shown up every single day for at least a year now. You'd think a regular would have at the very least been a polite acquaintance by now.

As soon as Angie brought out the woman's coffee, someone else entered the shop. Unsurprisingly, it was another regular. The same one she'd seen every day for the past two years. At least he was friendly. 

Shuichi Saihara, a junior detective with perpetual bags under his eyes and a tendency to overthink things. He was always way too polite with the staff and spent his mornings in the shop before he hustled off to the office where he worked. He also worked here. Not like, as a staff member. More like he did his paperwork at the counter and occasionally watched Kokichi when the rest of them were occupied with something that took them out of the kitchen.

Kokichi hated the idea of needing a “babysitter” but he wasn't allowed in the kitchen alone anymore after the incident. Luckily the two of them got along well. Jesus, Saihara was a saint for putting up with him.

“Will it be the usual for you as well?” Maki asked. The detective nodded, sitting down and placing his papers on the counter. “Angie! I need...god, one Cappuccino with almond milk, two sugars and 6 extra espresso shots,” she called out.  
  
“Got it! Morning Saihara!” she called from the kitchen.   
  
“Morning Yonaga-san,” Saihara said.

“Y'know, all that espresso can't be too good for you, right? Coffee is not a substitute for sleeping, Saihara," she paused here, watching as his eyes averted from her in shame, “Now, are you gonna eat breakfast here too? We're making Omurice today,” Maki finished. Saihara thought for a moment, eyes darting to the menu.  
  
“I'll take an Omurice then, if it's not too much trouble,” he said.   
  
Maki nodded. “Miu! I need one Omurice!” she called out.

Miu shouted back, “I'm on it! Hey, remind me to tell Celeste that we need more ketchup!”

Maki confirmed that she would do that, and then hung out around the counter for a bit. Soon Angie had his coffee done, and the detective quietly went to work on his papers. Ouma bounded out of the kitchen fifteen minutes later, carrying a plate.

“Shuichi! Here's your food,” he said, setting his plate down. The ketchup was in the shape of a cat, Miu's signature, and to the side was a little blueberry muffin.

“Oh. Uh, Ouma? I didn't...order a blueberry muffin,” Saihara said. His voice seemed a little nervous. Probably because Ouma was unpredictable. He could get angry or sad on a whim.   
  
“Oh, I know! But I needed a taste-tester! Tell me if that batch is good, okay?” he sang.   
Saihara just nodded.

Tentatively, he picked it up and took a bite out of it. “So, how is it Shuichi?” Kokichi asked. “It's good,” Saihara replied once he finished his bite.

“Yay! Thank you! Welp, back to the kitchen for me," Kokichi said, skipping back to the kitchen. Maki walked back with him.   
  
"So how's the rest of the baked goods? Almost ready?" she asked.

"They're all done! Miu, come taste test these pastries, you whore!" he shouted. Miu groaned.

"Why don't you have your boyfriend do it, loser? I have work to do!" she hissed. Kokichi rolled his eyes.   
  
"Well ex-cu-u-se me! I just thought you might appreciate some actual food for once in your life. And anyway, Shumai's not my boyfriend. I don't even like him like that! He's just fun to mess with," he said.

"Okay, whatever you say, micro penis. I'll eat your damn pastries," she said. Kokichi's grin turned devilish.  
  
"Oh? I thought you had work to do?" he said. Miu scowled and turned to elbow the tiny gremlin.   
  
"Fuck off, midget," she grumbled. Kokichi's grin got even wider, and he began to relentlessly attack Miu. So she bit back harder.

Angie shook her head. "With how they talk to each other you'd think they were bitter enemies instead of best friends," she said, sighing. Maki nodded, glancing over as the two of them fought over nothing like children.

"Be glad you don't live with them. I've gotta go man the counters," she said. Angie nodded, and Maki left the kitchen.   
  
The rest of the morning went by slowly. Once Saihara left, Maki left the front counter. She walked into the backroom to grab her bag, and then poked her head into the kitchen.

"I'm taking my lunch break. Angie, keep an eye on the counter while I'm gone," she said.   
  
"Okay! Have a good lunch break," she said.

"I will, Angie. Kokichi, you get yours next okay?" she said. Kokichi nodded, looking over to Miu and asking if she wanted to take hers with him. She said yes, of course.   
  
Maki left the tiny cafe to go grab food at the diner a couple blocks away. It was run by a family friend after all. Just another typical day.


	2. Café Au Lait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shop had been open for all of twenty minutes and already Maki wanted to burn the whole place down and skip the country.
> 
> Maki is very easily flustered, apparently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love coffee au's so much. Writing this one has made me appreciate coffee even more than before.

The shop had been open for all of twenty minutes and already Maki wanted to burn the whole place down and skip the country.

Miu had attempted to banish her to the the kitchen, only to immediately mess up an order and come crawling back to to get her help.

So now Maki was stuck apologizing to some stuck up, snotty asshole while Angie tried in vain to save his dying coffee. And of course Kokichi thought this was just hilarious.

Once that little mishap was rectified, Maki sat down on a stool behind the counter and buried her face in her hands. God, she was so fucking tired today.

  
Kokichi came out from the kitchen to stand beside her. "So Maki, did I tell you about that total babe I met at the thrift store yesterday?" Kokichi said loudly.

Angie immediately popped out of the kitchen. "Oh, a babe? Spill!" she said. She seemed excited, for whatever reason. She would never understand their thing for men. Kokichi waved her off as if it was no big deal, but Maki knew he was relishing the attention.

Miu came out from prepping the food and leaned against the counter as well. "So? What's the scoop, loser?" she asked.

Kokichi sighed dramatically. "So, I was grabbing this really cute sweater off the rack, you saw that one, right? The black one with the cute white paw print on the sleeve?" he paused and allowed Miu and Maki to nod in agreement," Well, as I turned around all excited to buy it because it was a steal, I bumped into this gorgeous looking guy. I'm talking runway model-looking man. He had this really silky greenish-blonde hair and green eyes. Anyway, he was hot and we ended up talking and the guy is really charming and cool too which has got to be illegal. So yeah, I ended up getting his number!" he finished.

Miu's eyes bugged out. "Dude, that's a fucking rom-com moment man. Does this make me the alcoholic bestie?" she asked. Maki very nearly face-palmed at that statement. Miu was the biggest lightweight she'd ever met.

Everyone laughed at that, even Maki, although she tried to hide it. "Of course Miu, though I'd hardly call you an alcoholic," Kokichi said. He started doing that annoying thing where he twirled his hair. He claimed it was just an "unconcious habit" but Maki knew better. He did that to look innocent and charming. Or whatever, she wasn't sure why he did it but she knew it was on purpose.

They continued to chat about Kokichi's new-found crush of the month when the door chimed and in walked Saihara.

Maki went to greet him like always, when she stopped dead in her tracks. In front of her was the prettiest woman she'd ever seen. And Maki had seen many pretty women. Hell, she worked with two good-looking ladies almost every day! (Though if she ever said that out loud, Miu's head would swell to five times its size.)

The girl had gorgeous blonde hair, pretty purple eyes, a beautiful face, and a very nice figure. Maki felt like she was staring, and not in a normal way. In a "holy fucking shit, did an angel just walk into the store" kind of way. A quick glance to her side confirmed her suspicions. Angie's eyes had an unnatural sparkle to them, Kokichi looked mischievous, and Miu was grinning from ear to ear like that demented cat from Alice In Wonderland.

"Shumai! Welcome back, who's the friend?" Kokichi chirped. The insufferable asshole pulled himself up and over the counter with ease. Shitty theater geeks and their weird upper body strength. She would never get used to Kokichi moving around their shared space like a fucking gremlin.

Saihara smiled timidly. "Oh, hi Ouma-san. This is my friend Kaede Akamatsu," he said, introducing the angel he'd brought in with him. Maki stood straight, pun intended, trying her best not to look at the girl.

"Angie! You can stay out here, I want to make coffee for awhile," Maki said. Angie nodded, clearly knowing what was up. She was going to get so much shit for this later. Maki made a break for the kitchen, her face as red as a tomato. As soon as she was out of sight, she clasped a hand to her chest and leaned over to breathe. Why had she been holding her breath?

She listened as Miu, Angie, and Kokichi chatted with the customers. Akamatsu ordered a chocolate croissant, and Saihara ordered their Denver scramble. So now Miu was back in the kitchen cooking the scramble while Kokichi plated the croissant.

Maki made their drinks as quickly as she could. It was nice to have a distraction from the strange floaty feeling in her chest.

Saihara's abomination physically pained her to make, but Akamatsu's order fit her. It was a Café Au Lait with chocolate-mocha cream and a scoop of classic. A cute, simple drink for the angel sitting at their counter. Maki cursed herself when the cream came out in a heart shape. Now it was going to look weird, serving her that next to Saihara's plain coffee.

Still, Akamatsu seemed to like her beverage and swore she was never drinking "Dawnfawn swill" ever again. So yay, a new regular! A really cute, really nice regular.

Maki was sure she was going to explode. How was Angie unaffected by her presence?! Hell, even Miu should be fawning over the girl! Was she the only one who thought Akamatsu was absolutely beautiful? Was she nuts?

Miu, the actual demon that she was, started talking as Saihara and Akamatsu were getting ready to leave. "Hey, you two should come to my beach party on Saturday! It's gonna be a blast!" she said.

Saihara looked hesitant, but Akamatsu leaped in almost immediately. "Sounds fun! Ummm, here," she paused, grabbing a napkin and pulling a pen from her pocket," Here's my number. Text me the address and we'll totally come!"

Akamastu dragged Saihara from the shop, and everyone sighed. Maki put her head down, thoroughly exhausted by the whole ordeal. Kokichi turned to her, and she could feel the smile on his face. Stupid rat boy. She wanted to slap her younger self for choosing him as her room mate sometimes.

"Wow Maki, y'know, I thought you were the rational one but it turns out you're just a useless lesbian! Maybe even more useless than cow tits over there," he teased. Maki glared daggers at him. From the corner, Miu gasped in mock horror. "I do not have cow tits!" Miu protested.

"Shut up Miu, yes you do," Kokichi paused to turn back to Maki, "Awww, don't look at me like that, Maki! It's totally normal! You know, when I had my first crush, I was so nervous around him, I threw a vase at his head. We all have our "uselessly flustered" moments." She couldn't tell if he was making fun of her or not. He probably was.

She spent the rest of her shift avoiding eye contact with the rest of them and trying to avoid saying "yes" to Miu's party. There was just no way on earth Miu could convince her to go. It was not her scene and she didn't even like the beach!

"Don't you wanna hang out with Akamatsu? It totally saw her checking you out! And have I ever lied to you?"

Fuck. Fuck, she was so screwed.

 

 


	3. Omurice Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no way in hell Maki was going to do that. Miu would have to fucking kill her first.
> 
> Why is it that Maki's Friday morning is so hectic and annoying? You'll just have to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had waaaaay too much coffee today guys.

Friday, 20XX

  
  


There was no way in hell Maki was going to do that. Miu would have to fucking kill her first. 

 

"Come on, Maki! Just come shopping with us! The party is tomorrow, and the only swimsuit you have is fucking  _ lame _ ," Miu whined. Maki gritted her teeth. 

 

"It's not "fucking lame". It's a nice, simple one-piece. I don't even *like* the beach," Maki responded. She was trying to get the overhead lights on and failing miserably. Her blood was basically boiling at this point. She was  _ this _ close to bashing Miu over the head with a coffee pot. Maybe that would make her shut up. 

 

Angie whistled from the kitchen. Maki could hear the gentle hiss of the coffee machines as they brewed some joe. Maki sighed internally. She just wanted to be back home chilling with a good book and headphones. 

 

"Stay calm Maki, once Monday rolls around you're free to go," she thinks to herself. Ah yes, a full day to herself. All the errands have been run so there would be literally nothing standing in her way. Just a day to relax and recharge for awhile. 

 

"Come on, Maki! Please? We need to get you something cute for the party! Don't you want to make a good impression," Miu begged. 

 

Maki sighed heavily. The lights flickered on and some of her tension melted away. From the kitchen where Kokichi was baking, he shouted, "Let there be light!"

  
  


Maki turned to look at Miu. Her eyes were wide and she was pouting. Fuck. Stupid Miu and her god damn puppy eyes. Maki could never win, could she?

 

"Fine. I'll go," Maki mumbled. She shoved past the blonde to go cook. Miu did a little happy dance, clearly excited. Maki was definitely going to regret this later.

 

Miu opened the store while everyone else got food prepped. Once everything was in the oven, Kokichi plopped down on a stool to relax. "Did the edgelord tell you guys she was coming in today with friends?" he said.

 

Angie fumbled with a coffee tin, whipping around. "Celeste is coming to visit?" Angie hissed. Maki groaned. Great, no pressure or anything. Just their boss coming in for coffee.

 

Kokichi giggled, the little gremlin. "Don't worry! You all might be stupid with a capital s, but you're not dumb enough to fuck this up," he said. Kokichi rocked back and forth on the little wooden stool. Maki wanted to take his stupid checkered scarf and smack him with it. But then he'd be sad all day and Maki would literally rather die.

 

The bell rang and Saihara came in with his ~~angel~~ friend Akamatsu. Maki felt herself getting a little warm. She was glad the uniform was so lax. Celeste didn't care what they wore as long as it didn't scare customers, which meant Maki's tank top and jeans were acceptable. Cheers to comfortable clothing in the summer.

 

Kokichi darted from his seat, pushing Maki to the side. Or well, trying too. He barely moved her at all. Despite looking like a twig, she was very sturdy. Kokichi pouted, setting off a chain of laughter.

 

Miu guffawed and bent over to wheeze dramatically. "Wow nerd, that was fucking pathetic," she teased in between deep breaths. Kokichi gave her the stink eye and began a rigorous attack on Miu's very existence. 

 

Angie sighed. "The usual, Saihara-san?" she asked. Saihara nodded, and then Angie turned to smile at Akamatsu. Maki bit her lip to avoid saying anything. Did Angie  _ have _ to linger like that? She'd just been smiling for like ten seconds!

 

Akamatsu coughed a little, clearly confused. Angie finally spoke. "So, do you want what we made you yesterday," Angie asked. 

 

Akamatsu smiled. "Of course. Oh, and we'll both have the Omurice," she said. Maki turned away to fuss with the napkins. She wanted to talk to her but nothing was coming out. She was absolutely stuck.

 

Kokichi kept making faces at her from his stool. As Angie went back into the kitchen with Miu to work on their orders, Kokichi kept silently messing with Maki. Maki wanted to melt into the floorboard and disappear.

 

Saihara, like the saint he was, caught on to Kokichi's "little game". "Ouma-san, stop bugging Harukawa-san. She's trying to work," he said, clearly exhausted. Kokichi pouted.

 

"Awww, but she's not even  _ doing _ anything!" Kokichi paused, and when it was clear Saihara wasn't relenting, he continued," But fine, if you insist. I have a question! Why don't you call me Kokichi? You let me call  _ you _ by  _ your _ given name!" Saihara thought for a moment. And then another. And then another. 

 

It was clear he thought the idea of it was strange, but couldn't find a reason to say no. "That's how he gets you," Maki thought to herself. With the napkins organized, she moved on to straws. 

 

"Okay, I guess. I can call you Kokichi if you want me too," Saihara said. Kokichi beamed, clearly proud of himself. 

 

"Yay! Okay then Shumai, we have a deal. Oh! Akamatsu-chan, since you're new here, let me explain some things," Kokichi rambled. He began to talk about the group and their schedules and dynamics. Maki caught on to all the emphasis he was putting on Maki and how cool she was. Somehow that was both infuriating and really cool. The jury was still out on that one. 

 

Akamatsu eventually left, but Saihara was going in late that day and so decided to stick around. Maki was finally able to breathe and relax. 

 

Angie didn't hold back on teasing her along with Kokichi and Miu, and so for a good while that's just what they did. Then the bell rang and a new customer wandered in. 

 

"Oh! Kaibro, what's up?" Miu shouted, waving. Kaito was a semi-regular customer of theirs, and he was pretty chill to be around. A little annoying, but well-meaning and generally pretty cool. He'd known the little group for several years know, and he'd been Maki's friend since middle school. 

 

Miu and Kaito ended up talking for awhile. He ordered a blueberry muffin and a mocha cappuccino. Angie went back to prepare his order, and Miu lounged around the counter.

Maki caught out of the corner of her eye, Saihara desperately trying  _ not _ to stare at Kaito. Oh!  Maki and Kokichi shared  _ the look _ , and Kokichi immediately launched into a tale about their college exploits. Saihara seemed a little confused, until Kokichi dragged Kaito into the conversation. 

 

Oh Saihara, such an innocent soul. He was doomed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should come out by June 10th!


	4. Salted Caramel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Celeste entered the building, it was at the worst possible time. 
> 
> Oh god, Maki tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEACH EPISODE BEACH EPISODE BEACH EPISODE

Friday, 20XX

When Celeste entered the building, it was at the worst possible time. 

Miu was chasing a bee around the store, flyswatter in hand. Kokichi was sitting  _ on _ the counter, playing with a spoon, and Angie was M.I.A. . 

Maki forced a smile on her face to greet the customers. They were all friends of Celeste, so Maki knew their names at the very least. There was Sakura, Maizono, Naegie, Togami, and Asahina.

Celeste paused in the middle of her conversation to stare blankly at Maki. She just looked so...disappointed.

Maki sighed, burying her face in her hands. "Miu, just open a window and leave the bee alone," she half-begged. 

Miu finally relented, and then Angie returned from the kitchen with a broom.

"Oh look, there's a rat on the counter," she called out loudly. Everyone in the building froze for a second until they spotted an oblivious Kokichi.

In a dead-pan voice, Maki replied, "Get rid of it then."

And all hell broke loose.

 

After that little incident, they made coffee for Celeste and her friends, and then closed down the shop.

It was swimsuit time. 

Miu had invited both Angie and Kokichi, which meant three times the stress. Great. Maki was going to have so much fun.

The store they were in was some hip, trendy shop that was darkly lit and smelled of bath bombs. Kokichi was off in the section of the store devoted to the sort of soft, frilly girl thing that made Maki want to vomit. 

Angie had offered to help, but Miu shooed her off, saying she could go get Maki "things that would make her  _ not _ smell like coffee beans and shame".

Jokes on Miu, Maki always smells like shame. 

The swimsuit section was very large, and all the different styles made Maki's head spin. Miu had already picked one out for herself, a beautiful gold one piece with so many holes and straps it was boggling. Angie hadn't wanted one, so now it was Miu's turn.

Everything Miu picked sucked. And Maki was not afraid to tell her that.

Racy bikinis that barely covered anything, one pieces that made her look like a psycho, so many suits that screamed "I make bad life choices"...Maki was so done. 

She didn't judge people for wanting to show skin or show off their bodies, but Maki was not that girl. She didn't want anyone staring at her and showing that much skin was unbearable. Miu, however, wouldn't relent until she chose something. 

So she did. It was a white one piece with tiny black stars and an open back. It apparently made her look good, and Maki didn't really mind it, so they bought it.

Ouma also bought some clothes, and Angie loaded up on scented things. So when they left they were drowning in bags.

Now all that was left to do was wait until tomorrow. And not murder her room-mates, but she was used to that. 

  
  


Saturday, 20XX

 

The drive to the beach was long and boring and grossly hot. Maki had to drive, because she didn't fucking trust the others not to get them all killed.

When they arrived, the beach was crowded. There were tons of people, most of which Maki had no memory of. Jeez, Miu sure knew a lot of people. 

Off to the side is Saihara and Akamastu. They were talking, Saihara keeping his hat pulled down on his face like always. Maki had never asked about it, but it  _ was _ a little weird. She knew Kokichi hated it, for whatever reason. He was always trying to get rid of that "damned hat".

She spotted Angie hanging out with some blue-haired girl. She'd never met that one, so maybe Maki would have to introduce herself later. Just to make sure the girl was a good person. And you know, that she deserved Angie's time. 

Nothing pissed Maki off more than assholes taking up her friends time and hurting them. Even if she'd rather eat a dozen bees than admit that out loud.

Still, if anything they did look cute together. Even if they were just platonic friends. Angie had a habit of just looking good with everyone. Curse that woman and her hair and skin routine. She was practically glowing!

Miu suddenly dragged her over to Akamastu. "Hey, guys! Can't stay for long, I have a boy to find! But how are you all?" Miu said.

Saihara stammered on about being fine and the weather being nice, which prompted an eye roll from Miu. As soon as he finished he disappeared.

Or really, Ouma came to drag him away. Something about showing him a seashell. Maki knew at this point something was fucking up.

Akamatsu went to answer Miu's question, but the blonde took off in search of "a boy". Which boy? Maki didn't know, since she knew like five people here. 

Now it was just her and Kaede. Great, Maki totally wasn't nervous or anything. Just a pretty girl in a white tankini. That looked good on her. Scratch that, she looked amazing. Ethereal almost. 

She stared for a few moments in complete silence before realizing that was creepy.

"Oh, um, sorry. So, um, Akamatsu-san, how are you?" Maki asked.

"I'm great! This beach is just gorgeous! And you?" Akamatsu responded. Maki looked down and  sort of poked the sand with her foot. This weird tension was so thick you'd need a chainsaw to slice it in half. 

"I'm fine, I guess. Um, thanks for coming? Do you uh, like to swim?" Maki asked.

Akamastu nodded her head, and then it was quiet. Maki wanted to run into the ocean and drown herself so badly. Anything to get away from that weird moment.

Akamatsu pulled something from her bag and extended her hand towards Maki. "Caramel?" she offered.

"Yeah, thanks," Maki said, taking some. She bit into it and it was salty and sweet and good. 

And that's how they had their first real conversation. Over candy and where Akamatsu had gotten it and what kind they liked. Maybe a bit unorthodox but it worked for them.

Afterward, they joined a game of beach volleyball with Angie and the new girl, Tsumugi. Tenko and Himiko even showed up, late of course because Himiko was physically incapable of arriving on time. 

 volleyball.

Maki ended up actually enjoying the beach that day. They swam and ate lunch together, and Miu introduced Maki to some boy, Kiibo was it? Miu seemed to genuinely like Kiibo, which was new, and that made Maki happy because well, Miu was happy. And a happy Miu was way easier to live with.

They ended up barbecuing, which was nice.  Akamatsu made a mean hot dog, and even Saihara helped out. He was really funny when he wanted to be, actually. Just a little shy. 

The only downside was that Ouma spent all day glued to his phone. As if he was like, solving world hunger or something. It was annoying, but Maki elected to ignore it for the day. 

Sure as hell, on the car ride home, Maki was going to give him shit for it.

Oh, and Maki got Akamatsu's number too, so that was something. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, less go


	5. Banana Cream Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Featuring new characters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, wassup, sorry this took so long, motivation is a fickle mistress

Sunday, 20XX

Maki trudged into work that morning tired and grumpy. She could _still_ smell the seawater in her hair and clothes despite her best efforts to wash it off. Curse the beach and its ability to ruin her life.

Maybe that was a tad bit over dramatic but damn it! Sea water was such an unappealing smell in everyday life. At the beach? It was fine, she could deal with it. But once she left the beach she wanted nothing to do with the smell.

The lights were already on when they entered. It was Sunday, which meant it was Angie's day off and Yumeno and Owada's first day on the job this week. 

Yumeno was known for falling asleep standing up, and Owada was prone to getting into arguments with customers. Which was just _fantastic_. 

She could hear giggling from behind her as Kokichi entered the cafe. He had been stupidly giggly and hyper all morning. At first Maki had thought Miu had let him have sugar, and was going to destroy her, but he was just in a naturally good mood today, which was strange. She wasn't going to question it though.

Owada stared at the tiny terror for a second, before realizing he was literally in the middle of cleaning and going back to work. Miu and Kokichi went back into the kitchen, presumably to start cooking and baking, ans Maki took her position at the counter. 

A new addition sat first and foremost on the countertop. It was a cylindric, spinning container filled with candy canes. Odd. Those shouldn't be out till winter. Well, whatever. Maki didn't get paid enough to give a shit.

Yumeno was, predictably, asleep standing up. Maki sighed, grabbing a straw wrapper from her apron pocket and tossing it at her. She jolted awake and hurried back to the kitchen to man the coffee station. Owada finished his cleaning and went to sit at a booth and play on his phone. He wasn't allowed to cook (because Kokichi banned him from touching the stove) and he wasn't allowed to make coffee anymore after last time, so he basically just chilled until Maki needed a break from customers.

The bell above the door rang, and in walked Saihara and Akamatsu. Saihara looked....dead on his feet.

They sat down at the counter. Kokichi came out briefly to hug Saihara, because he's just like that, and then went back to backing. 

"What can I get you guys today," Maki asked.

"My usual, please. Only with like...way more espresso shots," Saihara mumbled. It looked like he was barely awake. Maki shook her head sadly.

"Didn't get much sleep, huh?" She asked. Saihara just nodded and face planted into the counter. 

"Shumai! You should get more sleep! Don't be a dummy and die on me," Kokichi called from the kitchen. Everyone smiled at that. Kokichi could really be soft when he wanted too.

"I'll have a Cafe Au Lait with Cinnamon. Oh, and can we both have the French Toast?" Akamatsu asked.  Maki nodded, yelling the order back at Miu and Yumeno. After confirming that they heard her, she turned back to the customers. 

Owada was gone. Great. He was skipping work, again. Asshole. And Saihara was asleep at the counter for the third time that month.

"So umm, what do you do for fun?" Akamatsu asked. Maki paused for a moment, thinking.

"Oh, I...read a lot. I watch some television, not a ton of it though. And I dance. You?" Maki replied. Akamatsu's eyes lit up.

"I play piano! I read as well, and I guess I play video games sometimes. I'm not very good though. But you dance?" She said. Akamatsu seemed excited, for whatever reason.

"Yeah, I do. Mostly like, ballet and jazz, stuff like that. I do a bit of modern in my routines as well. Not a fan of hip-hop though. I mostly join in with this informal dance group. We don't do competitions or anything, we just...show up and dance. I was hoping to be in a professional group by now but..." Maki trailed off.

"That's cool! I bet your a really good dancer," Akamatsu said. Maki felt her heart swell a little. She knew she was good at it but hearing someone else say that without even seeing her dance was a nice confidence boost.

"Yeah, I'd say so," she replied, trying to look casual about the whole thing.

"Man, I really want to see you dance sometime. If you have like, a big recital or something you should totally let me know," Akamatsu said. Her energy was off the charts.

Maki smiled. "Well, you could come to one of my meetings. You'd probably get pulled into dancing though, especially since you're new. My group is...excitable," Maki said.

Akamatsu beamed. "I wouldn't mind! I think dancing with you would be fun," she exclaimed.

Maki's heart couldn't take it. She was going to explode. The damn woman was just too cute! 

"I have to go check on some things real quick but umm...yeah, it's a deal," Maki mumbled, hurrying back into the kitchen. Miu and Kokichi were grinning evilly.

"Someone has a date~," Kokichi sang under his breath. Maki's breath hitched, and then she growled. "Do not," she warned him. He just laughed, continuing to mix whipped cream for the banana cream pie and teasing her. So she did what she always did.

Kokichi did always look much better with a face full of cream.

 

A new customer came in. She was thin and had grey hair, but she looked about their age and was dressed like some old-school victorian maid.

"Welcome to Celestial Coffee, what can I get you today?" Maki asked. The woman stood at the counter, looking like she'd just woken up. 

"I need a mocha latte with ten sugars and seven pumps of caramel," she said. Maki's blood ran cold. She could hear Akamatsu's spine retreat further into her back. What the fuck lady? Ten sugars?

"That's a lot of sugar," someone shouted from the back. It was too high-pitched to guess who it was. The woman at the counter looked like she was way too old for their shit. What a "mood", lady. Maki felt that. 

"It's not for me, I promise. I would go into cardiac arrest. I'm...babysitting," the woman said. Maki immediately felt that. She'd been the designated baby-sitter at the orphanage for far too long.

"Don't sweat, I totally get that. Your coffee's on the house. What're they like?" Maki asked. Normally Maki wouldn't do that, but her empathy was a little heightened today for whatever reason. Plus, no one should be forced to pay actual money for the monstrosity about to be created unless they plan on drinking it. 

"He's 25. Perfectly healthy. He's a friend of mine, sort of. His father asked us to keep an eye on him while he's out of town and it's my day to do it," the woman said, casually. As if this was normal.

"Excuse me, *what*?" Maki asked incredulously.

The doorbell rang again. Without looking back, the woman said, "Hello, Rantarou."

"Hey Kirumi! Sorry, had to tie my shoe," he said.

"And that took you five minutes?" she sighed. 

"Yes, but I swear these things hate me," he groaned dramatically. 

Maki stared at him. "Oh my god, he's an idiot. I get that. I have two myself," she said softly. Akamatsu started giggling to herself. Yumeno came out to finally give her and Saihara their coffees. Saihara looked pleasantly amused with the situation.

Kokichi walked out with their food, setting it on the counter. As soon as he spotted the newest customer, he squealed. He fucking squealed.

"Amami!!! How are you?" he said, clambering over the counter because fuck food safety laws, right?

"I'm fine Ouma, what's up?" Amami asked. The two of them stepped away to start chattering away. Miu came out from the back cradling something in her arms like a baby.

"Hey Miu, what the fuck is that?" Maki asked. Miu smiled meekly. "I found a nest outside. Can we keep it?" She asked.

Maki deep sighed. "I'm not taking care of a bird. That thing could be diseased," she explained. Miu broke out the puppy eyes.

"I'll take it to the vet! Please?" she pleaded. Maki huffed.

"Fine. But keep it out of the kitchen," Maki said, turning back to watch as Saihara spat out his coffee.

Miu cheered, "I'm naming them Candy Cane!"

"Cool. Saihara, what's wrong?" Maki asked. The detective weakly raised his head off the counter.

"It's salty," he mumbled. Maki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"HIMIKO YUMENO."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!


	6. Almond Muffins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki is fucking exhausted. Yeah, she keeps saying that but it's true. She's never been more tired in her entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School's back!!! And I'm so fucking overworked!!! Sorry if these chapters come slower, shit is wild.

  
  


Maki is fucking exhausted. Yeah, she keeps saying that but it's true. She's never been more tired in her entire life.

 

She wants to go back to bed. To curl up into a teensy tiny ball and not return for a good long while. Instead, she's stuck manning a coffee shop on a Tuesday morning with little else to do but yell at her coworkers for misbehaving.

 

She almost envies Yumeno's ability to sleep standing up. She wants to sleep so badly. Maybe she can get away with cutting her shift short today.

 

The bell above the door jingles and in walks her two favorite customers, Saihara and Akamastsu. She makes eye contact with Saihara and they both share each others pain. He looks like death, and she feels like it. What a great pair!

 

Akamatsu orders for the two of them while Saihara cat-naps. Saihara's drink is exceptionally caffenatied while Akamatsu has something lighter and sweeter. It's easy to make, at least.

 

Maki also orders them both breakfast, just a nice omlette. They need their energy after all.

 

"So, I was wondering," Akamatsu says. Maki looks up from the napkin she was folding and tilts her head slightly. 

 

"Yes?" Maki asks.

 

"Do you want to hang out once your shift is over? We can go get a meal or something," Akamatsu says. Maki's heart squeezes in her chest and she has to physically stop herself from squealing. Instead she coughs and fidgets in place.

 

"Yeah, of course. I get off at three," she remarks. Then she excuses herself to go grab their food. 

 

There's a muffin on Saihara's plate, as usual. Kokichi loves to give Saihara something special with his normal meals. 

 

Saihara and Akamatsu chat while they eat and have their coffee. It's interesting to hear Saihara discuss his crime investigations and his own theories for recent crimes. Apparently he was mostly doing theft and things of that nature. It's such a cool thing to do for a living, Maki is almost envious.

 

Almost.

 

After about thirty minutes, Saihara sat up straight in his seat and bored through Maki's head with his stare. " I feel funny," he says. Kokichi panics and begins quizing him on his symptoms.

 

"It better not be food poisoning again, I swear to god," Maki mumbles. Celeste would kill her. Absolutely murder her. And she kinda needed her fucking life to, you know, live.

 

 Miu came into the main room during the interrogation looking very distressed. "Yo, you little gremlin, what happened to the muffins in the fridge?" she asks.

 

Kokichi looks back, distressed. "I gave them out to customers, why?" he asks. Miu groans and nearly topples over. Maki sighs and shakes her head as puzzle pieces start falling into place.

 

"Those had weed in them, dumbass! I'm so fucking fired,"  she shouts, panicking. Saihara's eyes bug out, and Akamatsu begins laughing, hard. 

 

Maki sighs and moves from behind the counter to go change the open sign to closed. No point in inviting more people into this trainwreck.

 

Saihara, being very much a lightweight compared to Miu, starts vomiting. Kokichi manages to slide a bucket under him before he heaves. It's not pretty. 

 

Akamatsu scrunches up her nose in disgust. She actually looks pretty like that. Maki has issues. Yumeno goes to grab cleaning supplies, because protocol dictates they have to scrub every inch of the room when someone vomits.

 

After grabbing Saihara a decent amount of water to help him sober up, Maki decided to kick everyone out of the store and shut down early. Not because of Miu's....substance, not this time. No, the radiator is leaking. Again. Which means she has to call a repairman down here to take a look at it.

 

Great. Miu walks into the backroom again to check the damage while Owada yells over the phone at the poor, underpaid repair-man.  Yumeno disappears, never to be seen again, at least for the rest of the day. 

 

As Maki wipes down the counter, she hears a blood-curdling scream. Miu comes barreling out of the backroom with a slam of the door.

 

"CROCODILE!" she shouts, and Kokichi flings himself off the counter. The small boy rushes into the kitchen as Maki stares blankly at Miu, dumbfounded.  

 

"A crocodile?" Maki asks. Miu creeps away from the door, nodding. Kokichi comes out of the kitchen with a knife. Mondo stops talking to the repairman to call animal control.

 

Somehow, Maki still can't bring herself to get angry anymore. She's just...too tired. 

 

Miu holds Kokichi back, because he can absolutely not take on a crocodile by himself no matter how manly he thinks he is. 

 

Celeste was going to fucking kill them all for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I love you all :3


End file.
